


Rising Phoenix

by Izzy95



Category: Lovecraft Country (TV), Lovecraft Country - Matt Ruff
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Headcanon, Hurt/Comfort, Not Canon Compliant, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:29:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28505985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Izzy95/pseuds/Izzy95
Summary: Leti doesn't let Christina die in the end. No, death is too easy. Instead, she's forced to watch her dreams disappear and learn to navigate in a world that no longer bends to her will.Takes place after the ending. Slightly non canon compliant, but not too far off. Christina and Ruby magically survives, and now Christina has to live in a world without any magic. Slow burn. Starts as heavy angst, turns more fluffy with time. More characters might be added with time.
Relationships: Ruby Baptiste/Christina Braithwhite
Comments: 23
Kudos: 60





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christina wakes up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I had the idea to try to bend the ending a bit, see if it would be possible to work with. The beginning has some shorter, angstier chapters, and then lightens more up after that.
> 
> I'm looking for a beta-reader for this story, so if anybody's interested or knows someone, don't hesitate!
> 
> I hope you enjoy :)

When breath returns to her lungs, it’s in painful gasps, her lungs swallowing some of her blood. She screams in pain. Hysterically laughing and crying, screaming with all the might left in her body. She can feel her body being all wrong under the stones, but she can’t see. She can barely move her head, her neck completely crushed.

She shouldn’t be alive right now. She should be dead, like she deserved. She should have peace. But of course, there’s no rest for the wicked. Only pain and suffering.

Normally the Mark of Cain is meant to protect. Meant to save, nurture and guard life. That’s how it’s usually used. But Christina knows it isn’t like that this time. She knows that Leti wasn’t trying to save her, to let her live. This time it’s meant as a punishment. Death isn’t good enough for her. It’s too easy. Death would be a mercy. Now she’s stuck under a giant pile of rocks, her neck painfully broken and twisted, looking up at the moving moon. And even if she does manage to escape, she doesn’t have any magic left. Her entire empire has fallen to pieces and crumbled in one single evening.

Now all there’s left is the cold. She feels her skin, freezing in the night. She feels the cold air on her wounds. Sees the puff of her breath. It makes her shiver. She screams again, her tear streaks freezing. Normally the Mark of Cain would help her heal right away, but with no magic left in her body, it’s barely keeping her alive. She guesses she deserves this. She got too greedy. Everybody warned her against it, but she didn’t listen. She never did. She was tired of being told what to do, how to act, how to feel.

As the cold settles around her body, she tries to let go of all her thoughts. Tries to exist in the moment, tries to feel the pain in her bones, shut down her brain.

But in the end there only one thought left in her head that she can’t let go of. Ruby. Lying on a cold bed, dressed in white. Her Ruby, the only thing left in this world now. She had promised her that she would return. Promised that she would take her out of the coma so they could run away together. Told her that she loved her while she injected her with the poison that would leave her in a temporary comatose state. She knows deep inside that it’s not that easy. Ruby betrayed her, and she equally betrayed Ruby. But that’s not what matters now. She can’t bring herself to think of that. Not when Ruby is the only thing left that she can hold onto in her head. The one solid thing that she can pretend in still hers when her body is broken and destroyed under her along with everything she’d build.

In the end, she doesn’t stay under the rocks for a long time. As soon as she hears crisp footsteps in the grass, she screams again.

“Help! Help me! Please!”

She hears the stop in the steps, before they start up again, running in her direction.

“Help!” she screams again, as the steps close in on her.

It’s a young farm boy, pale and wide-eyed, starring at her in horror. She doesn’t blame him, but doesn’t have the time or space for sympathy.

“Help me get these rocks off me! I’m stuck!” Her voice is harsh and doesn’t leave room for questions.

“I’m looking for me dad, have you seen him? He’s broad with a big beard and blue eyes. He came out here but he never came back. His name is Thomas.” When the boy talks it feels rehearsed, his mouth is moving with the words, but his eyes are strained on Christina’s neck and body, like he’s in a trance.

Christina knows Thomas vaguely. She’s pretty sure he died in the fallout, but if she tells him that he’s not going to help her.

“Yes, I know him.” She manages to cough out. “I know where he is. If you help me get out of here, I’ll take you to him.”

“Okay.” The boy says, nodding his head along, not moving to help her in his shock.

“Now!” she yells, spiring him into action.

As he starts to move into action, struggling with all his power to move the rocks, he starts to whine, tears building in his open eyes as he stares down at her twisted and destroyed body.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” he whimpers. “I should get help. You need a doctor.”

“I’ll be fine if you can just get these things off me!” She says harshly, trying her best to push and struggle to squeeze herself out.

“My dad can help. Where’s my dad?” he says, now fully crying, tears and snot running down his face. He’s not unused to bloody things, has never really been squeamish. He’s seen animals being butchered before, chopped heads off of chickens, but this is different. This is a human being. Bent and broken, blood everywhere. Screams of pain as he pushes. Her neck. It shouldn’t look like that. It’s not natural. And he still doesn’t know where his dad is. This isn’t natural at all. He wants to run away. Take the pickup truck and run home to safety.

“I’m almost out!”

He doesn’t get the chance.

At last Christina manages to finally free herself from the rocks, her legs bend and twisted painfully, covered in blood, probably a broken pelvic bone. She doesn’t know how she stands up on the ground, but somehow she does anyways. She’s like bambi on ice, her skinny legs barely keeping her up. She screams in pain, but somehow it doesn’t reach her.

“Where’s my dad?!” The boy yells, stepping back from the monstrosity in front of him. “Our car is just over there; I can drive and get him and a doctor.” His voice is shaky.

Christina closes her eyes for a second, breaths in and out, tries to steady herself, before she musters the last power in her body, grabbling at a loose rock next to her hand still on the pile of her burial site. She swings.

The boy falls with a loud thud. Unconscious, but not dead.

She thinks at least.

On shaky legs, falling and bending she somehow managed to find the keys to the car on his body, before she starts dragging herself in the direction of the car. She screams as she goes. She doesn’t know why. It doesn’t make the pain go away. But maybe it distracts her mind from it, just for a tiny while at least.

The car is an old pickup truck, filled with mud and with a few bumps on the side. She really doesn’t care. Her mind is weakening, becoming blurry, as her body moves on its own accord.

All she knows is that suddenly, somehow, she’s on the road. Driving faster and more recklessly than ever before. Which says a lot. But it doesn’t matter. She only has one goal in her mind.

She needs to get to Ruby first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this beginning! Feel free to comment, I would love to hear your thoughts and feelings, and again, if anybody knows a beta reader somewhere ;)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby wakes up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still keeping it fairly short for now. Also still looking for a beta reader, just in case someone's interested or knows someone.
> 
> Enjoy! :)

When Ruby wakes up, vision blurry and foggy, she doesn’t know where she is. She blinks, trying to look for anything that she recognizes but there’s nothing. She not in Christina’s house anymore, or at least not a room she’s been to. No, it doesn’t look like Christina’s décor. It’s not Leti’s house either, nor Hippolyta’s apartment.

The walls are covered in a green pattern and are filthy, different stains trying to hide in the pattern. There’s two lamps hanging on them, barely giving light. The bed feels lumpy. As she tries to turn her head slowly, still feeling the effect of the drugs, she sees a small wardrobe, next to a desk and a small fridge.

“Where am I?” she whispers, almost to herself more than anything else, turning her head to the other side.

A door and a window, showing a parking lot on the other side through a crack in the closed curtains. A motel? But that’s not the most important thing she sees when turning her head. On a big armchair in the corner, starting to unravel with use and age, lit by a lamp standing on the ground is the shriveled and huddled up figure of Christina.

“You’re safe now. I’ve got you.” she says. Her voice is raspy. Something’s not right. Ruby blinks again, trying to get the tiredness to go away. She sits up, starring at her. Seeing now, her broken neck, her twisted legs, her body covered in scratches and blood.

“What happened?” her voice is harsh and full of disbelief as she stares in front of her, stomach slowly twisting more and more as her head clears slowly.

“The Autumnal Equinox. Didn’t go as planned. As in I didn’t plan on them bringing a _beast_ to come ruin my plans. They left me for death. I was supposed to be dead. But for some reason, Leti decided to give me the Mark of Cain. Because of course death isn’t good enough. They stole my magic and left me to lie under a pile of rocks for all eternity. Looks like their plan didn’t work. I got out.”

Ruby just stares in disbelief. And suddenly, everything rushes back to her.

The fight. She wanted to help Leti in the end. Saw not reason for the father of her unborn nephew to grow up fatherless. But then Christina caught her and all hell broke loose. She had tried to explain herself. Tried to talk reason. Tried to stop the whole thing. But Christina had worked to hard to let it go.

“This is my life goal! This is all I’ve been working for! I _killed_ my own family, do you really think one distant cousin means so much to me?!” she had yelled, coming closer and closer with painfully slow steps. Her tone was serious, harsh. Controlled. It scared the hell out of Ruby. She had tried to not let it touch her. Had tried to stand her ground.

“I’m _not_ going to help you destroy my family!”

“What family? Leti only uses you when she needs something from you! You know that, you told it to me yourself! I’ve _always_ been there for you. I’ve never lied to you. I’ve given you _everything_ , and this is how you want to repay me. By getting me killed?!”

“She’s my _sister_.” Ruby had pleaded. Begged. But it was too late.

She tried to scream in protest as Christina dragged her into the bed, terrified for her life and knowing this might be the end of it. She had heard Christina trying to reason with her as she drugged her. Telling her that she loved her, that she would come back and save her. That they could be happy together. Christina had cried as she said it, probably knowing deep down that it would never happen. Ruby stopped belonging to Christina the moment the had picked Leti’s side. They both knew that. And now there would be no turning back. Ruby wouldn’t forgive Christina for killing Atticus or for drugging her up. Christina wouldn’t forgive Ruby for turning on her when she thought she had finally found support and love.

It shouldn’t be so, but yet here they were, drugged and beaten in a dingy motel room, side by side.

“Atticus?” Ruby asks.

“Dead.” Christina replies, finding no reason to beat around the bush.

Ruby gasps, a held breath finally being released. The sound is wet, almost like a sob. She feels her heart beating fast and heavy in her chest.

“Why am I here?” Ruby asks, harsh and demanding.

“You’re the only thing I have left. They _took_ everything else.” For a moment she sounds fragile. Small. She feels small.

Ruby wants to laugh, wants to shake her head.

“I need to leave.” she says instead. Her tone doesn’t leave room for question. She slowly tries to rise, testing her legs. They’re shaky, like heavy lumps, not really working the way she wants them to.

“Please.” Christina tries, sounding so broken. There’s tears down her face, warm and heavy, but she doesn’t pay attention to it. “Please, don’t leave me. You’re all that’s left. I love you. Ruby, _please._ ”

Ruby feels it in her chest. A burning. A small irrational voice wanting her to stay, nurse Christina back to health, hold her in her arms and protect her. But it’s too much. The hurt, the anger. She’s not ready to let go, doesn’t want to let go, has no reason to. She needs to get out.

“I’m not a _thing_ to be owned.” she says instead, gathering herself, head raised and marching towards the door, half scared that it might be locked. That she might be trapped.

“That’s not what I meant. Ruby!” Christina puts emphasis on her name as Ruby approaches the door.

It’s unlocked.

“Ruby, please! Help me!” Christina’s pleas grows louder as Ruby opens the door and steps out. “I need you! Ruby! Come back! Don’t you dare walk away from me after everything I’ve done for you! Ruby!”

But it’s too late. Ruby shakes and cries as she starts walking, no clue where she is, and leaving the comfort of Christina’s arms, finally on her own again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it, please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and feelings, I would love to hear them! I have a lot of time on my hands the next couple of days, so I'll try to write as much as I can so I have a chance at keeping up when life gets busy again :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christina lies in bed and ruminates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slow and small chapter, cooking up some more as I'm typing.
> 
> Enjoy! :)

Christina doesn’t know for how long she stays in the room. She’s left the armchair and dragged herself over to the bed, lying there, twisted and alone, no comfort around her. She keeps falling in and out of consciousness, slowly loosing track of time and reality. A part of her feels like she deserves it. Knows it’s her fault. But that’s hard to admit, so instead she let her head ruminate over everything she could have done differently when she’s awake.

She could have killed Leti when she had the chance instead of saving her. That’s really the only thing she can come up with. Maybe made a protective circle around herself, but it didn’t seem like there would have been a need. She couldn’t have prepared for that other woman to be there. Couldn’t have been prepared for what would have happened. And if she had killed Leti, Ruby would never have forgiven her. She made a promise, and she wasn’t the type to break it. She could have been more aware of her adversaries. Paid attention to the present of someone she didn’t know.

Her spell had worked perfectly. She had been immortal. She had had the chance to live forever. Even as Leti drove a sword into her, nothing happened. It was the greatest power rush she had ever felt. Eternal life. No more hiding in the shadows, trying to navigate a man’s world that didn’t want her. No more of not being good enough. No more pain or suffering. She had become a God.

Now, she was back to being a mere mortal. As time passed, she tried to help her body along with the healing process, trying to reset broken bones. But it was hard to do alone, and she didn’t have the strength. But what did it matter anyways? She had lost magic. The only thing that had ever mattered to her. The one thing she had fought for, seduced for. If poor William had known that she was only using him for his knowledge. And then taken advantage of his body after death. To fuck a black woman none the less. He would probably be turning in his grave. She couldn’t bring herself to care too much.

Ruby had been another step in her plans. It seemed like getting close to the sister-in-law of her true target had been a good plan. Slowly infiltrating the tree. Gaining trust and recognition so she could get what she wanted. But she just hadn’t taken Ruby into account.

Ruby with her enchanting voice, drawing her in, her dark eyes starring into her soul, her warm and beautiful skin, so easy to touch, so warm and giving. Her attitude, how she was so unapologetically herself, no need to hide. So proud, yet so caring.

She never wavered, matching Christina’s temper perfectly. When Christina gave her an invitation to be as uninterrupted as possible, she exceeded all expectations. When Christina pushed, she pushed back. When Christina let go, she kept returning on her own. She was never too scared, too far away. It exhilarated her. It was like an addiction, and Christina couldn’t get enough of her. Not that she would admit it. Not even to herself, before that night.

It had started out so perfectly. She loved fucking Ruby as William, that wasn’t the problem at all. She loved the feeling of actually being inside her, moving together. It was exciting, exhilarating, turned her on to no avail. But she had always feared that Ruby would only ever want to be with her when she was William. And while a part of her would be satisfied with that, a part of her knew that William wasn’t her. She loved putting on the face and the mask, loved how much easier life became, loved the power, getting taken seriously, liked all the parts of the role she played, but she knew he was only one part of her. And she longed to be embraced fully, both parts. To be seen and loved as the strong independent woman she was. To be held, touched, kissed, in her own skin. It’s that basic need for love and acceptance that drives her.

So when Ruby had finally kissed her, as Christina, not as William, it stirred something up inside of her, and she couldn’t ignore the building feelings she had for Ruby anymore.

Looking back, she knows that Ruby was probably just using her, trying to steal her DNA the same way she had back then. But it didn’t feel like that in the moment. It was different than when she was with her as William. Softer. More meaningful. It’s wasn’t just fucking; it was like making love for one of the first times. Christina had taken her time, laid her down on the bed. Kissed her softly and carefully, like she could break at any moment.

She already knew every inch of Ruby’s body intimately. Knew how to please her, where she liked being touched and how. But Ruby hadn’t had this body pressed up against her before. Hadn’t felt the touch of naked breasts against her skin, the lack of something between her legs, the curve of her back. She let Ruby take her time to get used to the feeling of her body, used to how different, yet familiar it feels. Christina tried her best to touch her and kiss her in places she knows she likes, in places she’s done before, to show Ruby that she’s still the same person, who still knows how to please her woman.

But to her surprise, Ruby had resisted getting dragged in, instead wanting to touch Christina, explore this new body in front of her. Her fingers fumbled, she was unsure exactly where to place them, exactly what to do, but it felt _good._ It felt like coming home. Even through her inexperience, Ruby wore her confidence with pride, and it turned Christina on to feel how much Ruby wanted this, wants her. It felt like she was right there, in the moment, opening up her heart and soul to Christina. Christina thinks it’s one of the best orgasms she’s had, in either body, as her head tossed back and she let pleasure crash over her, Ruby’s name on her tongue. She returned the favor as best as she could.

Christina thinks she sees Ruby sometimes, in her lucid state. Right there, on the corner of the bed, talking sweetly to her. She never really catches on to the words. Kissing her forehead. She can almost feel the wet cloth on her face, whipping away the blood, enough to make her question reality.

“Ruby?” she whispers into the night.

“Shh, baby, go back to sleep.”

She’s unsure if she’s imagining the words or not, but it’s enough for her to close her eyes again. Next time she becomes aware again, she alone, thinking it must be a cruel dream, her mind playing tricks on her, showing her what she wants to see to distract her from the slow and painful healing process.

When she’s alone, she stares at the pattern on the walls. She can almost see it moving, writher, contract, ugly and pointless. It’s a small room. Not very clean or well-kept. So far from what she’s used to. But it’s cheap, and it’s hidden away. She had taken what cash she could find when she was in her house, dragging Ruby with her, but it wouldn’t be enough to last her forever. It was enough, however, to hand some to whoever runs the place, asking for total discretion for an unlimited amount of time.

She has no clue whether the man has kept his word or not, but there’s been no disturbances, no cops knocking, no nothing. The only interaction she has in when she orders room service, because unfortunately food and water is still something she needs, but she always gets them to leave it at the door, putting the empty plate outside when she’s eaten as much as she can muster. She tries to tell herself that it’s good for her, giving her a chance to move her body a bit and to add some nutrition to her body. But her mind think she’ll puke if she has to eat one more grossly overdressed salad or sloppy hamburger with sad fries, if her body doesn’t puke from being forced to stand up and move. She really could use a neck brace she thinks. Maybe some crutches.

How she managed to drive that car all the way to her house, drag an unconscious Ruby inside of it, drive all the way here, rent a room and drag Ruby into it is sometimes beyond her. But she guesses that must be the power of adrenaline or something. You do hear those stories, parents becoming superheroes when their children faces danger. Maybe if she had stopped for a moment to question if her body could handle it, the illusion would fall apart, her body giving in. But she hadn’t even thought to question it. All she knew was that she needed Ruby.

She had had Ruby. And she lost her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not the most exciting chapter, but I promise there'll be longer chapter with more stuff going on soon. I hope you liked this anyways, please let me know what you think and feel, and have a great week :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby goes home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. Between graduating and moving to a new country, writing hasn't been on the top of my mind. Hopefully I'll get more into it when I start to get more settled and into work life. All that adulting, huh? Anyways, hope you enjoy :)

Ruby does visit Christina. She doesn’t really know why she does it. Christina drugged her, stole her body, went against her wishes, almost killed her and killed Tic.

But Leti is alive. Like Christina promised. And Christina had never hidden the fact that she needed to kill Tic. She had even tried to figure out a compromise so she wouldn’t have to. So the irrational part of Ruby tries to tell her that it’s okay. That she never lied, never said anything that wasn’t true. She should have known who she’d gotten into bed with. But she guesses she did. She’d lived through the metamorphism; she had seen the man in the police chief’s room, had been on the sideline as everything went down. She had known what Christina was a part of. She herself had brutally raped and assaulted a man. Not that she didn’t think he deserved it. So it really shouldn’t have been hard to imagine what Christina was capable of.

But that gripping feeling of fear was hard to shake. Seeing the betrayal reflected in Christina’s eyes. The anger. All the things she knew she was capable of, aimed at her this time. It was terrifying. She was not a person to back down. Not someone to beg or plead. But Christina changed that. Ruby was certain she wouldn’t come out of there alive. Certain this was her end. She had felt it to her core.

Yet, Christina hadn’t killed her. She had brought her back to life, like she had promised. She had woken her up in the middle of the night in some godforsaken motel in the middle of nowhere. She had stolen and used her body, dragged it away and brought it back to life again. Ruby had been shaking as she left the motel. She don’t know how she made it out of the door without breaking down, but she did. She managed to walk, in the middle of nowhere in the cold, only following a vague sign in the right direction.

She thought about trying to get help. Thought about trying to call someone. But she didn’t have any money on her, and was too scared of the consequences of an unknown black woman dressed in barely nothing walking alone and confused on the highway. It didn’t look good.

All that kept her walking was the thought of going home. She thought about going to Christina’s house, after all that had been where she had been living for some time. But the thought of sitting alone in that giant house after what had happened felt alien to her. And while she didn’t particularly care for the house Leti had bought, it was a place where she had a bed, a shower and family. And God knew, she needed all of that at that moment.

She don’t know for how long she walked, the cold night laying a blanket over her. When she finally arrived at a place she recognized, birds had started to sing. When she saw Leti’s house, the sun was high and she was no longer cold. Her feet and legs were in pain, but she didn’t care. By that time, it felt like all the knew was walking. One foot in front of the other, again, and again. It was an endless loop, an automatic movement that had stopped being a conscious decision long ago. She had long ago stopped worrying about how she looked, just trying to concentrate on figuring out the right direction. If she had seen people on the street, she had tried to find some cover in the night, but there had hardly been anyone. Which suited her just fine. But now she couldn’t really care anymore, with the house in her sight and relief awaiting.

“Ruby?” Dee said from the porch, half in disbelief and in shock over how Ruby must have looked. “Leti!” she yelled into the house, wasting no time.

Before Ruby knew it, she was surrounded by friends and family, holding her, carrying her, getting her into bed, calling for a doctor to look her over.

She was fed and bathed, checked from head to toe. Her feet were wounded and hurting, but to everybody’s surprise all she needed was rest and a bit of time to recover. Whatever Christina had done to her didn’t seem to have any lasting effects.

“What happened to you?” Leti had asked.

“She found me trying to steal the vail with her DNA. Put in some kind of coma. Said she would come back for me.”

“How did you come back, though? It looked like you had been walking the entire night.” Leti was confused, rightfully so. While she knew she had saved Christina’s life, there was no way she could’ve escaped. But if she did… “Did Christina come back for you?”

There was many things Ruby could’ve said in that moment. By then she had heard the story of Dee crushing Christina’s neck, ultimately ending her life. But she had also heard the story of Leti giving her the Mark of Cain, saving her in the end. She knew Leti hadn’t done it for kindness. Knew Christina would be dead the moment they found out she had escaped. She shouldn’t care. She really shouldn’t, but that small, irrational, protective part of her wasn’t ready to let completely go.

“I thought Dee killed her?” Ruby answered, doing her best to fake surprise.

Leti hesitated. Wondered if she should believe her, play along. She knew Christina still held a meaning to Ruby. Knew she had almost picked her side in the end and didn’t want to risk anything.

“Yes, she did.” The reply was a bit strained. After that she stopped asking about how Ruby had come back, neither of them wanting to go there or take any risks.

As she was resting, Ruby tried her best to forget about Christina. Forget about her, lying alone, broken and bloody, in some random motel room somewhere. Forget about how she dragged Ruby away with her because she was the only thing she had left. Forget about her crying over her body, telling her that she would come back for her, that she loved her. But it was damn hard. Especially while she was surrounded with nothing but love and comfort, warm food and warm bed.

When she finally did decide to go see her, it was almost a surprise for herself too. Her heart was still filled with dread, but somehow the thought of Christina, small, bend and broken, made its way to the front her mind, telling her that even if Christina wanted, she couldn’t hurt Ruby in that state.

So she kept walking. Again. She chose to sneak into Christina’s house, knowing where the keys for her car was. She didn’t exactly know where she was driving, but she remembered the road she had walked during the night, and tried her best to follow it, only getting lost a couple of times. She was lucky that the place wasn’t too far away by car. She guessed Christina didn’t drive to far in the state she was in.

Finding the right room wasn’t too hard. When she left last time, she had a moment of turning back, looking at the door with the number, 11, on it, before she left.

She sat in the car for a while, contemplating her decision to come. A part of her felt like throwing up. But somehow, she found the courage to get out of the car anyways, raise her head, straighten her back, and with a heavily beating heart step up to the door and open it. It was still unlocked.

Christina was lying with closed eyes curled up on the bed, looking just as small as when Ruby had left her. For a moment Ruby was scared that the injuries had gotten the better of her, but as she neared the bed, she saw the slow rise and fall of her chest. Ruby sat down next to her, for while just starring at her.

She looked so small and peaceful. Incapable of hurting a fly. And without magic she probably couldn’t anymore either. Looking at her, lying like that made a lot of Ruby’s anxiety and nerves disappear. So she stayed next to her, just watching for a while, taking in the various injuries. She could see the Mark of Cain sticking out from a hole in her dress. She touched it. Normally it was warm and pulsating with life, but this time it was weak, unmoving, no warmer than the rest of her body.

Ruby got up, found the small bathroom and wetted a cloth with some warm water. The least she could do while being there was to clean away some of the dried blood.

She was careful when turning her body. She tried to keep mainly to her face and whatever skin was exposed instead of taking any clothes off of her. When she swept the cloth over Christina’s forehead, the blonde stirred, briefly opening and closing her eyes. When she saw her, a small smile appeared on her lips. It warmed Ruby’s heart.

“Ruby?” she whispered.

“Shh, baby, go back to sleep.” She replied softly. Christina closed her eyes again, letting sleep crash over her.

Ruby felt a tear in the corner of her eyes. She hated herself for it, but she couldn’t help but to feel sorry for Christina. To hurt for the small woman in front of her, whom she owed nothing to.

That day she mainly just sat on the bed, watching over her. Calming her if she stirred. Murmuring slow tunes. Maybe to calm both of them.

In the she didn’t stay for too long. While it was clear that Christina was move or less knocked out, a part of her didn’t want her to wake up and see her sitting there, caring for her. She wasn’t ready to let go, wasn’t ready to start talking. She kept telling herself that she only reason she was there was to make sure she was still alive and at least looked a bit after. That was all.

She sat in Christina’s car for a while afterwards, just starring. It was the first time she had driven Christina’s car. Usually Christina was the one who preferred to do the driving, which suited Ruby just fine. She kind of liked the feeling of sitting in the passenger seat. It made her feel like some kind of queen, sitting in that expensive car. Ruby wasn’t a woman to be kept. She was her own person belonging to herself. But that didn’t mean she didn’t enjoy the attention. Didn’t love it when William put his arm around her seat and smiled at her like she had put the stars in the sky. The car still smelled of expensive perfume, making Ruby long for a time when she felt save curling up next to William or Christina in the dark of night, closing her eyes.

But somehow it felt like she had played with the devil, and now she had gotten burned. And nobody gets away with burning Ruby. Which is why she wouldn’t be coming back again.

At least that’s what she told herself.

Until the next day, when she was sitting in the living room, starring out at all the white people walking by. She still had no clue why Leti thought moving to a white neighborhood was a good idea. She hadn’t met a single white person she could trust for anything. They were always scheming and planning, just waiting for your next week moment. She preferred staying on the South Side most of the time. People understood. It was also where the action happened, where the music was swinging, where the gossip was. All white people seemed to do was have quiet dinner parties where people barely even seemed to laugh. White people even made church boring.

Here there was laughter, life, love and support. Understanding. Family. Not a perfect family, mind you, but _her_ family. Her relationship to Leti was still somewhat strained. She knew that they both wanted to repair it, but you don’t just wipe away years and years of history like that. It took more than that. At least she had to admit that it seemed like Leti wasn’t skipping town this time. Maybe pregnancy and motherhood was what she needed in order to wise up.

She wouldn’t admit it to her, but she enjoyed having Leti around right now. She couldn’t imagine going through everything alone right now. Which is how her mind returned to Christina, alone and half destroyed in a cold motel room outside of town. She didn’t want to think her. She wasn’t any better or more trustworthy than the rest of them. But she had made her feel safe, even if just for a second. And Ruby knew she was the better person, who also didn’t want to leave someone alone when there was nobody else around.

Even if that person happened to be the devil herself.

So she made an extra-large portion of chicken soup for lunch, and put some in a container with some lemonade and painkillers and made the walk to Christina’s silver Bentley again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it, please comment and tell me what you think, I'm always curious and open to ideas! I'm looking for a beta reader if anyone is interested/knows someone who might be. Have a great day! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby tries to keep caring for Christina

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! Thank you for all the well wishes and such on the last chapter, it made me very happy :) I'm going to try to schedule a chapter a week from now on, but I also know better than to make promises I can't keep, so I hope you'll bare with me. Anyways, please let me know what you think, I'm always curious, and have a great day! Enjoy! :)

Ruby kept coming back. She really didn’t intent to. Really didn’t want to. Really didn’t owe it to her. Owed herself more, to be honest. She wasn’t some lovesick teenager bending herself over for someone who was clearly only using her. As much as somebody could use someone without even recognizing that there was another person in the room and not just a dream.

She kind of liked that part if she was being honest with herself. That Christina didn’t seem to know. She had seen the leftover plates from room service and knew that Christina was conscious at least some of the time. Knew that she still found the will to do something. But no matter her state, she always seemed to be under the impression that Ruby was some sort of delusion conjured up by her sometimes lucid state. It made for some interesting conversations sometimes.

“What do you think the real Ruby would say if she knew you were here?” she had asked once. “I think she would be pissed. You really should get yourselves in order.”

She might have a point there.

“You know, I think your singing is almost better than the real Ruby’s.” she had claimed another time. “My mother used to sing for me when I was a child. But her voice was a lot more shrill to be frank. If she could only see me now. Talking to my imagination alone in a crappy motel, having banned me and my race from the only thing that ever mattered to begin with. Oh well, she never seemed to particularly like my father anyways, maybe she would be happy to see him turn in his grave, it wasn’t like she could use magic herself anyways.”

Ruby hadn’t known what to answer to that. Luckily Christina just closed her eyes and drifted off again.

She knew it would be a problem, no matter how hard she tried to suppress and deny it. Christina had been willing to kill her own family and family friends, slit Atticus’s arms and put Ruby in a coma to achieve her goals. It was something she had fought for her entire life, manipulated, killed and detached herself from the rest of the world with no hesitation, no second thought. And in a manner of seconds, it had all been destroyed and ripped away from her. By Ruby’s sister and family.

The moment Ruby had decided to go behind Christina’s back and help Leti out, Ruby had picked her side. And therein lay the true problem. If it came down to Christina versus Leti, Ruby would always pick Leti first. So, if Christina woke up and started talking about destroying Leti and winning back the magic she believed rightfully belonged to her, it would catch Ruby in the middle, having to once again pick her side.

And the problem with that was that Ruby knew in her gut it wasn’t a matter of if, but when.

She only prayed that Leti was too busy minding her own business and grieving in order to worry about Ruby’s long walks and staying away for hours. But Leti also knew Ruby was a free person and wouldn’t stay settled and chained to the house for too long at the time. She needed to be outside, soaring in the sky. And Christina was still far enough gone, at least sometimes, and maybe in thanks to the pain medicine Ruby had given her, to start speaking too grandly.

It was weird, looking out for Christina. It wasn’t a very demanding job or anything, but being a black woman, looking after a white woman, stirred a lot of feelings inside of her that was hard to ignore. She had always felt that divide between the two of them. It almost felt like she was betraying her race by being with someone who was white. She knew a few people did it, but also knew that it was seldom a thing that ended well. And seeing that it was not only a white person she was seeing, but someone of her own gender, now that was in and of itself a bomb waiting to go off.

And not only was she now a black woman taking care of a white woman like some kind of maid, she was doing it all for a white woman who had betrayed her, used her, who’s motivations from the start could clearly be seen as having been purely manipulative in order to gain her own personal goals. She understood why Leti had the hatred for her that she did. It made sense.

If she was being honest with herself, she wasn’t really sure what she was doing there. Or she knew what, she was making sure that Christina wasn’t dead and had some chance of recovery, that she wasn’t completely alone. What she didn’t know, was what her plan would be when Christina started to realize that she wasn’t talking to any ghost. That Ruby was there, caring for her, in flesh and blood. It terrified her. An irrational part of her hoped that she could just keep coming and going until Christina was all healed up and then just vanish out of her life as quickly as she had appeared. That she could do her job, then go back to focusing on her music and saving up for her own place, and focus on becoming an auntie. She wanted put this whole chapter of her life behind her, move on and not look back. In her optic, magic hadn’t led to anything good. Even when she got to experience privilege and freedom, it only ended showing her the darkness of the world she lived in. Ended up being an invitation to see for herself just how true her oppression was, how unfair her cards were dealt. It brought down a lifelong dream of working in her dream store and ended in a brutal assault. Yes, she liked William, liked sleeping with Christina as a man, she wasn’t going to lie about that, but was it really worth it? It was all the same person anyways. She could see it, in the way they both stood the same, held themselves in the same manner. Their slow and calculated talking, the long pauses. Airing on silence as she could see the wheels in their heads turning. Their eyes, looking so longingly at her it gave her butterflies at times. Whether it was Christina or William, did it really matter? It was all the same person.

Trying to keep ghostlike was difficult though. It made it hard to do certain things. Like remove that thin and destroyed dress clinging to Christina’s body, covering other wounds she was sure. Giving her something warm to wear instead. Putting bandage on her. Which was fine for a little bit of time, but after sitting by her side for a while, starring at her body lying like that, it became too much. She had already cleaned the visible parts of her body, had fed her and given her meds. It seemed like the natural next step. Plus, the dress and the wounds only served as a horrible reminder of a horrible day, where her family got ripped apart, her illusion of safety and love got shattered. The day of betrayal, the day of loss, the day it all feel apart. And while she wasn’t ready or willing to either forget nor forgive, she was ready to move on.

Finding new clothes wasn’t too difficult. She knew Christina probably couldn’t fit her clothes, but maybe she could fit some of Leti’s. She knew Leti had some old boxes of clothes she wasn’t using but hadn’t gotten around to sorting on the attic, so going up there while Leti was out for a few hours wasn’t too hard. It was mainly old, worn clothes that wasn’t necessarily in fashion, being either too bold, too patterned or just too weird. In the end she settled on a long thickish skirt with a tilted checkered pattern. It wasn’t particularly pretty, but it was long and warm, and that was the most important part. Plus, if Leti wasn’t going to throw it out, Ruby would, because that thing for sure wasn’t something she would allow her sis to be seen wearing.

A useful shirt was a bit harder to find, so she ended up settling for an old unused sweater of her own in the back of her closet. It was a present from Marvin, but the man never had much sense of fashion, and while she had worn it a couple of times to please him, the cut of it never suited her.

So with bandages, old clothes and a scissor in her hand, she made her way back to Christina.

She had thought about trying to park the car somewhere else, so she wouldn’t have to keep coming in and out of the neighborhood alone, all the white people staring at her. She was a bit scared to just leave an expensive car anywhere though, it would either look suspicious or it would get broken into and probably stolen. Plus, she guessed that most of the neighbors had seen her coming in and out back when she was living in the house, but at some point she was sure that they would wonder where William and probably Christina too was hiding, and why that black woman kept coming back on her own. But until one of them actually came up to her, she guessed there was no harm.

She had gotten more used to driving the car. It even somewhat stopped smelling like Christina or William and started to smell more like Ruby’s perfume instead. She was starting to leave some of her own things in the glove department too. It was almost like she was moving in. A part of her wanted to just keep the car, but she knew that wasn’t happening. She was just glad she hadn’t been stopped and asked about it yet.

She was used to the drive, used to the road and the radio, knew where to pull up and when. It always made her heart beat a little faster when she approached, made a small knot form in her throat. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling by any means. But somehow it was worse today. Going there with the clear intend of cutting up Christina’s dress, possibly bathing her (she had been staring at the tub in the tiny bathroom for a while), and redressing her again seemed to be a bit of a stretch compared to the other visits. It was a long procedure, and probably the most risqué in terms of Christina realizing what was going on.

She tried to drag time out a bit, sitting in the car, but in the end she knew she had to move. Get it over with. The faster the better.

When she walked into the room, arms full, Christina was sleeping again. She didn’t know whether that was a relief or not. She knew the blonde would probably wake up at some point during the whole thing, and a small part of her wanted it to be sooner rather than later so she could just get it over with. But maybe some time was nice enough she thought, as she quietly put the clothes and bandage down on the chair, before grabbing the scissor and going over to the bed.

She was careful as she pulled off the cover. The dress Christina was wearing was in a pretty bad state, there wouldn’t really be any use in trying to salvage it, so cutting it up would be easier than figuring out how to open it and move Christina around enough to wriggle her out of it.

Cutting it up.

Touching the scissor to her naked skin and undressing her while she was unconscious.

Great.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen Christina naked before, wasn’t like there was any sexual aspect to this moment, it was a purely necessary thing to do. But she also knew that she shouldn’t even be there to begin with. That Christina didn’t even seem to be fully aware yet that she was actually there. And that stripping an unconscious person in general didn’t seem like a great idea. Especially your unconscious ex-lover who you were simultaneously helping out and trying to get over and done with.

She held the scissors in her hands, trying to at least warm the cool metal a bit while she just stood and stared at her, sprawled out and uncovered. She looked almost majestic in the dress, if she didn’t think too hard on the fact that it was colored red by Tic’s blood. Which was exactly the thought that made her move.

Not really knowing where to start she decided that the bottom was probably the best place. She was happy that she chose to take the good scissor by the sewing kit instead of the semi-dull scissor that in her own room, as it seemed to glide gracefully through the fragile fabric. A part of her hesitated when she started reaching the top of her legs, but she was already in the middle of it, too late to stop. And it wasn’t like it was something she hadn’t seen before. So she continued, trying to be as careful as possible to touch as little as possible of Christina’s skin with the scissor, failing every once in a while. She felt Christina stirring slightly, flinching a bit whenever Ruby accidentally touched the scissor against bare skin. Ruby chose to continue, preferring to get it over with now while she was still at it. It was the first time she had gotten a look at the body and the damage that Christina had. There was a slight deformation at the ribs, but by now it was mainly dark purple and yellow bruises, along with some closed gashes at the side of her stomach, Ruby guessed from when she dragged herself out from under the rocks. Her neck was still all colors of the rainbow, but looked less like a crime scene and more like a slightly warped candy wrapper by now. There was still dry blood covering a lot of her body underneath her dress, making it hard to assess the total amount of damage, but it was clear that the spell was slowly under way. Ruby was sure that within a month or maybe two, Christina would probably be back up and running, though she wouldn’t put her money on anything just yet. She just hoped that she would stay gone for a little longer, just until Ruby had disappeared again. She noticed the flickering eyelids, but it wasn’t before she cut the final bit at her collar, the fabric releasing as in a long awaited sigh, that she noticed blue eyes staring at her.

“Ruby?” Christina asked. Her voice was raspy with sleep. She sounded slightly puzzled by Ruby’s presence, and going by the slight shiver of her body, she was feeling the cold from her newly exposed skin.

“Shh, go back to sleep, it’s okay.” Ruby rubbed her arm slightly, hoping she would just accept her command without question.

“What are you doing?” Christina asked instead, a tired look on her face.

“Just getting you out of these bloody clothes, that’s all.” She kept her voice light and sweet, playing into the whole illusion thing as much as possible. It always put her a bit on the edge every time she had to talk to Christina. When Christina just kept looking at her with that puzzled tired look, Ruby decided to start humming and singing slowly, trying to calm her back to sleep, while she slowly helped her arms out of the dress, and lifted her back to remove the dress from underneath, the only thing remaining on her body being some thin, now red panties. When she was finally done removing the clothes and had laid Christina back down, she tried to stroke her cheek, shushing and singing, hoping she was going to go back to sleep before she had to try and wash her.

“Ruby-…” Christina tried, weakly, but was cut off by Ruby.

“Shh, baby, you’re just dreaming, close your eyes, it’s okay.” She said, caressing her cheek and going back to singing, before she tried to grab the blanket to pull over Christina to provide her with some warmth and comfort.

“Ruby, stop.” Christina said, more insistent this time. It made Ruby stop dead in her track, her blood running cold for a second.

“Ruby, I know it’s you.”

_Fuck_ , Ruby thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are slowly getting more intense and interesting! Let me know what you think, ideas and theories are also always welcome, and otherwise have a great day!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally get to talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for all the love and excitement! Hopefully this chapter will be a turning point and we can dive more into a story from here on out. Hope you enjoy!

Silence filled the air as Ruby just sat there, staring at Christina, speechless. It was clear that Christina was tired, her blinks lingering and her face calm. But her eyes were clear, demanding, unwavering. This wasn't a test, wasn't a slip up, wasn't the words of someone caught up in her own illusions. This was someone who wasn't going to beat around the bush anymore, someone who knew exactly what she was saying, who wanted to have the conversation.

Ruby wasn't sure she wanted to though, her heart beating heavily in her chest.

“How long?” she asked, looking down at her hands. Her voice was barely above a whisper, yet firm.

Christina looked at her for a while, her eyes flickering over Ruby's face, trying to figure out what to say. 

“I pieced it together over time. I never went to the bathroom, yet my face was washed. I didn't order room service, yet I wasn't hungry. After a while I had to admit to myself that the only logical explanation was that you were actually here. That it wasn't just an absurd dream. That I hadn't been talking to my imagination.”

“So why didn't you say anything until now? Why stay silent?” Ruby didn't know whether to be angry, hurt, or a whole other emotion brewing underneath. 

Christina hesitated again. Ruby could sense the conflict in the other woman. It wasn’t a new look. She felt like half of her conversations with Christina had been her waiting for the blonde to make up her mind about what to say and what to feel. It always made her feel left behind, like she was only getting the few leftovers from a whole meal of thoughts and feelings. Like she wasn't worthy of behind a part of her train of thought, when in reality, Ruby longed for Christina to just spill her guts, let it all flow out. She didn't care if it wouldn't make sense or would sound weird, at least then she would have a clear picture of the person sitting in front of her. Sometimes it felt like Christina was nothing more than a ghost, floating around, always out of reach, making her constantly unsure of whether she was actually with her, or if Christina was just playing her for a fool. It was absolutely infuriating, making her question whether she was sane or not. Admittedly, it was also something Ruby found incredibly attractive at times, the long silent looks of longing. Just not right now.

“I wasn’t sure when was a good time and didn’t know how you would react.” Christina finally said in a calm voice, looking down for a second before looking back up at Ruby, standing by what she was saying.

“When was a-?!” Ruby blinked, biting her lip to try to control her bubbling anger. Shaking her head, laughing in disbelief, she stood up, her heart beating faster than before. “Surely you must be aware by now that I’m not just some kind of toy for you to play around with, huh?! I can’t believe this! Here I am, nursing you like you’re some kind of helpless child, while you’re once again laughing behind my back!” She swung her arms as she walked around the room, gathering her things so she could get away as soon as possible.

“ _Wait!_ ” Christina practically yelled when Ruby reached the door. Ruby stopped in her track, stomping with her foot in hesitation and impatience, before turning her head sharply at Christina, her stare cold and unforgiving.

“What?” she practically drawled.

“Look, I’m sorry, okay?” Christina said, not really sounding very patient either. “I didn’t realize until a day or two ago, and I wasn’t ready to lose you so quickly again.”

Ruby blinked, her face softening slightly.

“Can’t we just start over? Forget the whole thing? I love you, Ruby, how many times do I have to tell you that? Can’t we just get into that stupid car and drive away together? Look, I knew you would come back for me, we just need to get away from here, I’m sure I can manage to get some money, get us a nice place to live. It’ll just be the two of us this time, nobody else. I just need some time to get back on my feet and in shape, and I’m sure I can figure out a way to get magic back, to restore things to the way that they used to be. And with you by my side I would have everything I’ll ever need.”

“Are you kidding me?!” Ruby said in disbelief, throwing her head to the side, eyebrows furrowed. “You know, everyone always told me how bad of an idea you were, and I just wouldn’t listen. I kept on saying ‘no, she would never hurt me’, ‘no, she’s going to help us out’, ‘she actually cares for me’. But none of that was actually true now, was it? In the end it was just all so Christina could get whatever the hell she wanted. Money, magic, immortality, love. You never once did anything selfless for me, everything was just your own little game.” Ruby was seething, filled up and had had enough.

“You sought me out because you knew I was your way to getting close to Tic. You dressed as a man and _fucked me_ , as a man, knowing I’d gladly accept the extra attention. You showed me magic, not for my own sake, but so I could get wrapped up in your little game, vouching for you, putting everybody’s guard down so you could strike when the time hit. You didn’t do jack for Dee because of me, you did it for your own little trades and tricks.

“I came to you,” Ruby continued, her voice trembling, “crying, broken, trying to make you understand _my_ feelings, _my_ pain, while you practically _laughed_ in my face, telling me you don’t care about my people. How do you think that made me feel? And in the end, what was it all for? So you could steal _my_ body, attack _my_ sister and kill the dad to her unborn child.” Ruby’s lip was quivering, tears of anger and pain streaming down her face. “In the end,” she continued, “I wasn’t any better off than William. Just another cold and comatosed body in your basement, used for what she was worth and then thrown away like garbage.”

Ruby let out a single laugh, cold and hard.

“You don’t love me, Christina. You love yourself. And right now, all you need is a car to get out of here, that’s why you keep going on with your empty words. God, I _wished_ … _So hard_ , that I would be wrong. That I actually found someone who genuinely cared for me. Who wanted to lift me up and make me see my potential in this world. But my fate was sealed from the moment I went home with you. Just another person to seduce and use on the way up your own latter. Well I’m done this time. No more. I’m not going to be another corpse rotting away in your basement.”

“Then why are you here?” Christina asked. It took Ruby aback for a second. “If that’s really how you feel, why did you even bother to come here to begin with? Why care?”

Ruby opened and closed her mouth again, unsure of what to say. She blinked, trying to force away the tears that had fallen from her eyes. As little as she wanted to admit it, Christina had a point. And Ruby knew that.

It felt like a standoff, Christina’s eyes fixated on Ruby, demanding an answer while silence filled the air. Ruby hated Christina’s ability to see right through her. She didn’t want to answer, didn’t want to admit to herself or to Christina that she still cared, no matter how little.

“Because,” she said after a while, “I wanted to make sure you were still alive…” she said slowly, steadily.

“That’s not true and we both know it.” Christina retorted.

“You know what, yes, maybe a small part of me wanted what we had to be true. Wanted to have that love and connection. But in the end, I just couldn’t bear the thought of you lying half-dead in some forgotten motel room with absolutely no one to look after you. To care for you. Not because I care about you, but because I _need_ to believe that everyone deserves a helping hand when they’re down, even if they’ve done absolutely nothing to deserve it. I need to believe that I can be the bigger man, even when I wouldn’t have felt bad if Leti had killed you.”

“Then stay.” Christina said, her voice softening, almost pleading. “Help me get back on my feet, then I promise I’ll leave and leave you alone. I’m tired. I can’t keep doing this back-and-forth thing. I know it may not seem like it, but my feelings _are_ real. Do you really think I would bother to steal a car, drive all the way back here to drag your body with me in a state of not supposed to be alive, if I really didn’t care? You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me. I never lied to you. I kept my promises. I told you my plans. If you asked any question, I answered it. I promised not to harm your sister and I didn’t. I promised to come back for you and I did... You know what, yes, I did pick you out. I knew about your family and thought it would be a good move.”

Christina’s voice starting becoming a bit more stubborn as she spoke, Ruby letting out a small gasp at the admission, laid out there so freely.

“It was a perfect plan, really. I would use you like I used William, to get closer to what I actually needed. What I hadn’t anticipated in that equation, was _you_ …” she paused, searching Ruby’s eyes, trying to figure out the best wording. “It was always easy with William. I knew he had an eye for me, my dad liked him and liked the fact that I would get to stay within the order, so to speak. It’s wasn’t hard to get his attention. I was practically raised to be someone just there to take care of her husband and children. That was all. There to serve the man, because they were the real heroes, the real go-getters. Why waste time on a woman when you can have a man?” she snorted, lost in her disdain for a moment. “I knew William was nice enough though. And after seducing him, it didn’t take much convincing for him to teach me magic. Men are easy that way. So controlled by their desire, you just need to wait till the right moment to ask. Do the right thing. Push the right buttons, and they’ll do whatever you want them to. But he was kind, handsome even. Sex was okay. I never much cared for it, but I never much disliked it either. It was just a thing that came with it. But you,”

Christina paused and waited until Ruby looked her in the eyes. She looked vulnerable and small in that moment.

“You were different. You weren’t just someone to seduce and own. You were your own person. Had your own life and mind. Not that William didn’t, it just never captured me in the same way. The way you sang up on that stage, the passion flowing so whole heartedly through you it could be felt at the back of the room. The way you cursed of the others. It was fascinating, intoxicating... You know, I never really needed to seduce you, you seduced yourself for me. All I needed to do was shut up and listen, maybe buy a drink or two, that's all. You decided for yourself that you wanted me.”

She smiled at the memory, looking down.

“Do you know it was the first time that I've tried being with anyone in that body?” Christina looked up at Ruby, who rolled her eyes in return. “I never liked sleeping with men that much. It never spoke much to me, but being with you, even as a man... Feeling you, touching you. Seeing how much you wanted me. I don't think I'd ever been that aroused before. To be honest, I had forgotten about trying to seduce you the moment you walked through my door, too caught up in the feeling of _you_. That never happened with William. I didn’t introduce you to magic because I wanted to seduce you to being on my side. I introduced you to magic because I saw a woman who was desperate to get seen and heard. To go out and experience _life_. You’re not someone who can be seduced and kept locked up in a cage. We both know that. You don’t need any _man_ to take care of you. You’re Ruby Baptiste for crying out loud!”

Ruby couldn’t help but to raise her head a bit. She knew Christina was probably just sweettalking, but it still got to her.

“Yes, I wanted to seduce you. But in the end, I was the one getting seduced.” Ruby snorted and rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help the small smile creeping up on her.

“Can’t we just forget this whole thing?” Christina tried again. Ruby’s face grew more serious. “Give me a chance to prove to you that my feelings are real. Give me a chance to try to prove that I can be good to you, that I can be there for you. Together we can be unstoppable. We’ll be the ultimate power couple. Just you and me baby.” She smiled, pleading. But Ruby merely looked disappointed to the ground, jaw clinching.

Silence filled the air as Christina just waited. She wasn’t normally one to plead. This whole thing felt alien to her, beneath her. But she knew she had to win Ruby over somehow. That smoldering looks and confident poses wouldn’t get her what she wanted this time. And she wanted Ruby.

“Okay, this is how it’s gonna go down.” Ruby stated firmly after a while, staring Christina dead in the eyes. “I’m going to help you get cleaned, healed and back on your feet. I’m not gonna do it for you, I’m gonna do it for me. After that, I’m gonna walk away and you won’t _ever_ see me again.” Ruby saw Christina’s face light up, so she decided to quickly continue, “ _In order_ to _deserve_ that kindness, which you by no means have made yourself deserving of; I have some rules you need to follow, do you understand?” Ruby spoke slowly and firmly, making sure to put emphasis on every word, not wanting Christina to get any funny ideas.

Christina nodded slowly, listening intently.

“One; you do not as much as _mention_ magic to me.” Christina clenched her jaw, but didn’t say anything. “It no longer belongs to you, you are not _entitled_ to it, it is not your _birthright_ , you’re not to try to _win_ it back, and if you so much as talk about it, I swear to God, I will walk out of that door and the next thing you’ll see is my sister, and this time I _promise_ you that there is no mercy.” Christina blinked, looking down. This wasn’t as fun anymore.

“Secondly, you will not try anything with me. No sweettalking, no flirting, no standing against doorframes with that _look_ you get, knowing God damn well exactly what you’re doing.” Ruby flushed as she spoke, making Christina arch an eyebrow at her, a smirk forming on her lips. “ _That_ look, the one you have now.” Christina had to bite her lip in order not to laugh.

“I’m serious Christina. I’m tired, okay? I don’t like this feeling of living a double life. I’m not here for a romance. We had our run, and while it might have been fun when it lasted, I need to be free. I’m not your servant, and I’m not gonna be your lover. I need to find my own feet, and this isn’t the way. For once, Ruby Baptiste is going to be first priority. Nobody else. You blew your chance.”

Christina smiled. Even if it wasn’t necessarily going in her way, a small part of her was happy that Ruby wanted to look after herself.

“Thirdly, _I’m_ in charge this time. What I say goes. If I’m gonna help you out, it’s going to be my way. If I say go right, you go right, no questions asked.”

“So you get to be free and liberal Ruby Baptiste, and I’m suddenly the kept housewife waiting for you to come home? That hardly seems fair.” Christina barked back.

“Tell me again, how is it going when you try to move?” Ruby asked, her eyebrow raised. “These are my conditions for you to get my help. You’re welcome to do it on your own if you want to.”

Christina shut up after that.

“Good. While I’m helping you out, you’ll do as I say. As soon as you’re back on your feet I couldn’t give a fuck about what you do or don’t. It doesn’t matter to me anymore.” Christina clenched her jaw, but stayed silent.

“Lastly, when I’m done, I want you to leave me and my family alone. I do not want to see you, hear from you, or so much as hear your name mentioned anywhere. If you come near me or my family again, I swear to God you won’t live to tell the tale. It’ll be over. Now, you understand me or you don’t. I’m not going to bend on these rules in any form or manner. If you break any one of them, I walk and you won’t see me again. Don’t forget that you should be dead right now. And you will be if you try anything funny. Got it?”

Christina bit her lip, her jaw still clenched. This wasn’t exactly ideal. But at least this way she would get time to win Ruby over.

“I think we have an understanding.” Christina said, unamused smile on her lip.

“Good.” Ruby replied, feeling a bit relieved. “Now let’s get you cleaned up for real this time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked the outcome. It's always difficult to figure out precisely how to do the characters, I hope Christina didn't become too weird or Ruby too stubborn. As always I would love to hear from you guys, please share your thoughts, and have a lovely week :)


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